SHARE

Monday freeze expected to damage crops, another freeze expected

An early-morning freeze may have damaged several varieties of fruit trees that were in full bloom in the Grand Valley, and a second freeze is expected Tuesday morning.

Grand Junction’s low dropped to 24 degrees just before 7 a.m. today, a temperature that was likely consistent throughout the valley, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.

Temperatures can vary from location to location between the west and east ends of the valley, with winds typically blowing a little stronger in Palisade and keeping the air stirred up and lifting temperatures compared to areas like Fruita, Loma and Mack. But Weather Service forecaster Joe Ramey said a wave of cold air that pushed in behind a cold front on Sunday created an “isothermal condition” across the valley, disrupting the normal winds that blow out of De Beque Canyon and west across the valley.

Another freeze warning is in place from midnight to 8 a.m. Tuesday for the valley, the U.S. Highway 50 corridor to Montrose and the Colorado Highway 92 corridor from Delta to Hotchkiss. The coldest conditions are expected between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. Unlike Sunday night and this morning, however, Ramey said he expects the winds to return and elevate the temperatures in the higher portions of the Grand Valley.